Food Bank

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Chef Dante Boccuzzi
Photo by Chris Mengay

Walking around his soon-to-open restaurant space, Dante Boccuzzi is beaming. There is an intense odor of turpentine and a cacophony of drills, hammers, saws and air compressors, as the convivial Boccuzzi stops to chat with every single person working on the site. 

Undeterred by the mess, Boccuzzi proudly shows how his vision has come together, smiling often, and laughing at the setbacks that are now far enough in the past to be humorous. Transforming the former Third Federal Bank building on Tremont’s Professor Avenue has been a trying endeavor, and opening a new restaurant in the current economic climate, daunting at best. Yet, all this became trivial in March, when Boccuzzi was diagnosed with cancer. 

Surrounded by packed boxes in his new office, Boccuzzi candidly discusses how after having a fever for a few months and developing swollen lymph nodes, he went for a biopsy on doctor’s recommendations. “I went back a couple of days later, and the guy says this is what’s going on and ‘you have lymphoma,’” recalls Boccuzzi.  “I just looked at him like ‘isn’t that cancer? I can’t have cancer.’” 

Luckily, it was very treatable and after six rounds of chemotherapy, the lymphoma was completely gone.  “I’m fine, back to normal,” says Boccuzzi. “I go back four times per year to get checked out, and that’s it, they just keep an eye on me.” Now, he’s back doing what he does best.

Boccuzzi’s impressive resume includes stints as executive chef of Charlie Palmer’s famed Aureole, at the Mandarin Hotel in San Francisco and Nobu Milan, among others.  When he returned to Cleveland, he took the helm at Lockkeepers in Valley View, before an eponymous rechristening of the space, garnering positive press and praise. Yet, Boccuzzi yearned for a spot that was truly his own, and that’s what he is bringing to Tremont. 

“This is cool because it’s all my ideas,” says Boccuzzi. “With this, I was able to take all the mistakes from everywhere else that I worked, and say ‘this never made sense, so let’s do it like this.’” 

Outside, contemporary Dante signage is the primary break from the imposing Neoclassical architecture.  The interior includes many original features, including marble benches on either side of the main entrance, which will become two lounges, clad with pillows. Nearby is a custom wine cellar, with doors and glass created by local artisans, which makes great use of a long-dormant space.

The whole bar is custom, with the majority repurposed from a paper-cutting machine, including two end pieces with intricate gears displayed beneath glass tops. Arguably the coolest four-top in Tremont will be in the old vault, set before a glass-enclosed meat and cheese room, with house charcuterie selections hanging from a rack crafted by Boccuzzi’s uncle.

The most coveted table at Dante promises to be the chef’s table, located in the kitchen in a recessed booth with seating for about four people. “There, I’m only going to do tasting menus,” says Boccuzzi. “So, you’re there for a while; 7 or 14 courses. Or, if you want, you can join the ’21 Club’, so we’ll do 21 courses with pairings.” Club members will leave with a keepsake memento, and a full stomach. 

A roof was built over the alley between the bank and the neighboring art gallery. The resulting space was transformed from top to bottom, becoming the back of the bar and part of kitchen operation, including a waiters’ alley and dishwasher station. “We went way over budget,” says Boccuzzi. “We were trying to fit everything into the bank, but it would have been too tight, less elegant.” There will be seating for about 40 in the main dining room, with banquette and two- and four-tops. It will be discreetly separated from the 15-seat bar with attractive custom wood panels. “It’s spacious, but it’s still cozy,” says Boccuzzi. 

A once poorly maintained backyard now features a stone and wood patio with wraparound glass windows and wood-burning fireplace that will be used primarily for private parties. The alfresco dining area comes in the spring. 

The menu has been developed with an eye towards maintaining what worked at his Valley View locale, with myriad updates and price awareness. “I was cautious about price, keeping it reasonable,” he says. “I try to keep it all under $20, with plenty of options, little tastings of pasta or risotto, for example.” 

Among the authentic Italian flourishes will be tableside polenta. “It’s going to be traditionally made, using an Italian copper pot, not instant polenta, the real stuff that you need to stir all day long,” says Boccuzzi. “It’s poured onto a wooden board that I brought from Rome, and then you choose your toppings – braised rabbit, sausage; that’ll be seasonal – spooned on top.” The Italian-centric wine list will feature 50 bottles for under $50 featured on the first two pages of the book, and all will be available by the glass.

Mention sushi, and Boccuzzi lights up, and for good reason. After working with renowned chef Nobu Matsuhisa for years, he learned a thing or two. Fans of Boccuzzi’s sushi preparations will welcome Gingko, his sushi bar cutely named for the Japanese word for bank. A stairwell was created in the front of the building where the old alley began, and a New York-style entryway with awning over the sidewalk will lead to the underground, 40-seat restaurant. 

As of mid-November, Boccuzzi had yet to put any recipes to paper. “I’m making it different than what I did on Rockside,” says Boccuzzi. “I haven’t looked at anybody else’s menus in town. I don’t want to have anybody else’s ideas.” For more info on Dante Restaurant, visit here.